Well-driller&#39;s fishing tool



Jan. 31, 1928. 1,657,788

H. E. CLARK WELL DRILLERS FISHING TOOL Filed N v 12, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 my 1 5 5 1 xi a'ie'g 1 I ,6 Y /s 10 3 l? r 1::- 5 8 1 y 1 b 7 8 P If 7 y g y INVENTOR HERBERT E-CLAR Jan; 31, 1928.

H. E. CLARK .vmu. mmmn's mains TOOL Filed Nov. 12, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 big/0 NVENTUR QIWM Patented Jan. 31, 1928.

. UNITED STATES HERBERT E.-CLABK, OF LYNWOOD, CALIFORNIA.

WELL-DRILLEE.S FISHING TOOL.

Application filed November 12, 1926. Serial No. 148,065.

In the operation of drilling deep wells such as oil wells and the like, it frequently.

occurs that a tool or part of a tool becomes separated from the string of tools and lodges at the bottom of the hole; and an object of the inventionis to "provide simple, efl'ective, easily operated and certain means for picking up the lost tool or. part which is commonly termed the fish. The invention is broadly new, basic and pioneer in that. it" comprises a shell, jaws having shanks and pivotally connected to the shell; a jaw controller fixed to a stem such as'the drill stem of a string of drilling tools, and reciprocable and rotatable in the shell and provided with lugs adapted to engage the shanks to hold them together and the jaws spread apart in one rotated position of the controller relative to the shell, and having a wedge adapted in another rotated position of the controller to enter between the shanlzs and force the shanks apart, and the jaws together, at a lowered position of the controller; and means to hold the controller in its lowered position so that when the controller is drawn up, it may lift the shell and the jaws to withdraw the same while the jaws are-in closed position' In order to adapt the device to be operable to allow the controller to be fully lowered, the shanks of the jaws may be resilient so that when the fish is sol largeas to interfere with the closing of the jaws, the shanks may yield outwardly to allow thewedge to pass down far enough to allow thedogs'to so engage the controller as to lift-the shell and the fish. Cheapness and durability are other objects of the invention.

Other objects, advantages and features of" invention may appear'from the accompanying drawings, the subjoined detailed description andthe appended claims.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the invention.

Figure 1 is a fragmental elevation in axial. sectionshowing the newly invented fishing tool'in set, position at the bottom of a hole with jaws spread apart to encircle thefish, that is to bewithdrawnfrom the-hole. x

'Fi 2 is an elevation artly in section of the shing tool in seconc position with the shell in the same position as in Fig. 1, and the jaw controller turned quarter way looking down.

around from the position it occupies in Fig. 1, so as to release the jaw shanks.

Fig. 3 is a tragmental detail showingportions of the shell and controller; the parts being viewed at an angle ditlerentfrom that in Figs. 1, 2 and 4:, and in section cutting longitudinally through the shell at the axial plane of the bayonet joint pins that are fixed to the shell; and also cutting through the vertical limb of the bayonet slot, the parts being in position to allow the controller to be lowered relative to the shell, spreading the jaw shanks apart and moving the jaws toward each other;

Fig. l is an axial sectionwith the shellin the same rotated position as in Figs. 1 and 2, and the controller in the same rotated position as in Fig. 3, and lowered relative to the jaws to spread the jaw shanks apart and close the jaws to catch the fish, which is shown insolid lines in the view.

Fig 5 is a crosssectio'n on linear, Fig. 3,

Fig. 6 is a section on linear", Fig. 7, look ing up. j j A Fig. 7 is a view partly in sectionon line a, Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a section on line 19 Fig. 9;

Fig. 9 is a. view partly in axial section, of

the fishing tool operatinglto catcha fish-tail bit at the bottom of a hole.

, Fig. 10 is an'elevationof the jaw con troller turned part way around from. the position shown inv Fig. 7 a

Fig. 11 is. a. fragmental side elevation showing, the lower partof the sleeve and the jawsopen, .omittingthe shoe; Fig- 12. is. a view'of the lower'end of Fig. 11, looking up. p

Fig. 13 is an enlarged detail of the .con

struction and arrangement whereby. the spring dogs are detachably attached to the shell and normally held in positionto engage the controller to support the shell.

1 indicates the shell; '2 indicates jawspivoted to 'theshell by hinge bolts=3 and provided'with shanks 4 by wh-ichthe jaws may be moved toward and from each other. 5 is the jaw controller fixed to the drill stem6 and adapted to'be raised andlowered and turnedaround by means of said drill stem. The. lower end of said jaw controller is provided with lugs; 7, spaced apart. and adapted to embrace or externally-enga e the tips of the. shanks 4. to. hold, said. sianks t to move the lugs 7 out of engagement with i the tips of the shanks 4. and to allow a down ward movement of the controller relative to the shell 1. 10 is a lateral extension of the body 9. and is provided with bayonet slots comprising horizontal and vertical limbs 11 and 12. into which the pins 13 extend, so that when the controller body 9 is turned to one position, the horizontal limbs of the bayonet slot may accommodate and stop the pins 13, and thus prevent axial movement of the controller relative to the shell. so that the device may be raised and lowered and jarred and jerked without displacing the parts.

Said extension is shown as a slotted skirt integral with the body 9 of the controller and of the form of a frustum of a sphere.

Said controller body is provided with shoulders 14, which constitutes the lower walls of notches 15 that slope from said walls 14 upward and outwardly and are adapted to accommodate spring dogs 16 that are fixed to the shell 1 by set screws 17 and project downwardly into spring contact with the controller body 9. Said notches extend sufficiently to allow their lower walls to intercept the dogs and lift the shell when the controller is again drawn up.

The extension 10 is drawn in toward the main body 9 of the controller so that the upper wall of the vertical limb 12 of the bayonet slot escapes the inner end of the pin 13 when the controller is turned to bring the vertical slot limbs 12 into alinement with the pins 13. thus to allow the controller to be moved downward to bring the spreader 8 between the shanks 4 to wedge them apart, thereby to bring the jaws toward each other underneath the fish 0, thus to support the fish when the fishing tool is drawn up by the drill stem 6, after the dogs 16 have engaged the shoulder 14.

The shoe 18 is threaded onto threaded extensions 19 of the shell, and screw threads 19 are shown cut into the outer sides of the jaws so that the shoe may be screwed home on the shell and the jaws.

It is understood that when the jaws are drawn in to catch the fish as shown in Fig. 4 the threaded outer faces of the jaws will simply be withdrawn from the threads of the shoe and the shoe will remain threaded tight onto the threaded extensions.

The shanks 4 of the jaws may be resilient as indicated in Fig. 9 so that in case the fish as at 20, is too large to allow the jaws to come toward each other, the spreader may notwithstanding. be forced down until the dogs 16 engagethe shoulder 14 so that when the drill stem 6 is drawn up, the dogs will cause the shell to be drawn up also with the fish in place.

21 is a slip collar screwed onto the upper end of the controller outside the shell and fixed in position by a set screw 22, and when the controller is down in shank spreading position as indicated in Fig. 4. said slip collar rests on top of the shell; and in this position the controller is held by the. dogs and the slip collar, from moving longitudinally relative to the shell.

The shell 1 is shown provided at its rounded end with holes 23 through which the spring dogs 16 are inserted into the inside ot the shell. and said dogs are provided with shoulders 24 that fit against overhanging shoulders 25 at the top of the shell and are held in engagement with such shoulders by set screws 17. .Yhen the tool is drawn up through the hole and is swung out over. and thus lowered onto the floor. the said screws 17 may be unscrewed, thus allowing the spring dogs 16 to be withdrawn through the holes 25 thus allowing the jaw controller to be drawn up to release the shanks of the jaws; and when the controller is in the position shown in Figs. 1 or T. the dogs may be reinserted and again secured in position against the cylindrical body 9 of the controller.

Although I have shown the shell in the form of a cylinder for the purpose of securing ma:-:imum strength, it is understood that, the shell may be cut away in parts without departing from the spirit oi the invention and that any form of frame serving the general purposes of the shell may be employed without departing from the broad principles herein set forth and that the same holds true with regard to the controller and its construction.

I claim 1. A well drillers fishing tool comprising a shell; jaws hinged to the shell and provided with upwardly extending shanks; a jaw controller movable in axial relation to the shell and provided with downward extensions to engage the outer sides of the shanks to hold the jaws spread apart at one rotative position of the controller relative to the shell; said downward extensions being spaced apart to allow the controller to be moved toward the jaws when the controller is rotated to a different position; said con troller being provided with a wedge to wedge the jaws apart when the controller is in the rotated position; said controller being provided with a lateral extension; means carried by the shell to engage said lateral extension in one position to prevent downward movement of the controller when the shanks are engaged by the downward extensions, and

to disengage the controller from the shell when the controller is in shank wedging position; and means to prevent retraction of the controller relative to the shell at the wedging position of the controller.

2. A well drillers fishing tool comprising a shell having downward extensions spaced apart; jaws hinged to the shell and provided with upwardly extending shanks that converge upwardly when the jaws are eX- panded; a jaw controller reciprocable in the shell and provided with means to act upon the shanks and hold the jaws spread apart when the controller is in one rotated position; a bayonet slot and pin adapted and arranged to allow axial movement of the controller relative to the shell when the controller is turned to release the shanks, and to allow the wedge to spread the shanks apart; and dogs adapted to hold the controller from being drawn from wedging position; the upwardly extending limbs of said bayonet slots being arranged to allow the pin to escape from the controller.

3. A well drillers fishing tool comprising a shell havin downward extensions spaced apart; jaws hinged to the shell and provided with upwardly extending shanks that converge upwardly when the jaws are expanded; a controller reoiprocable in the shell and provided with means to act upon the shanks and hold the jaws spread apart when the controller is in one rotated position; a bayonet slot and pin adapted and arranged to allow axial movement of the controller relative to the shell when the controller is turned to release the shanks and to allow the wedge to spread the shanks apart; and dogs adapted to hold the controller from being drawn upward from wedging position; said dogs being provided with shoulders to engage the shell to prevent the dogs from upward movement relative to the shell; said shell being provided with :an opening through which the dogs may be removed and provided with a shoulder to prevent the dogs from being moved upward and a set screw to hold the dogs in engagement with the shoulder.

4. In a well drillers fishing tool the combination with a shell having downward threaded extensions spaced apart; jaws in the spaces between such extensions hinged to the shell and provided with shanks extending upward from the jaws; said jaws having outer threaded faces; a shoe threaded on said extensions and jaws; a jaw controller fixed to a stem, and reciprocable and rotatable in the shell; said jaw controller being provided with lugs adapted to engage the shanks to hold them together and the jaws spread apart in one rotated position of the controller relative to the shell; and said controller having a wedge adapted in another rotated position of the controller to enter between the shanks and force the shanks apart, and the jaws together, at a lowered position of the controller.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at Los Angeles, California, this 13th day of October, 1926. 1

HERBERT E. CLARK. 

